Understanding how to communicate effectively is essential to building meaningful relationships with mid-major donors. In my previous post, I covered the three foundational elements of communication that mid-level and major gift officers need to master for success:
- Reliability
- Personal communication
- Trust
But communication is only one side of the coin.
The other is building the operational infrastructure to support these efforts. So, let’s talk about how to structure a successful mid-major program.
We’ll start with a focus on behaviors, habits and performance:
- Routine behaviors establish consistency of fundraising tasks and actions of connection with your donors
- Consistent habits drive results and lead you to reaching your fundraising goals
- Choosing the right performance measures to track the habits and behaviors is key to inspiring engaged donors to act
Keep these three elements in mind as we dig into some frequently asked questions that our Transformational Giving team often fields:
How can I optimize my portfolio?
First you want to choose the right people to reach out to. Then you build meaningful relationships.
Mid-major giving programs are not about volume of outreach but depth of connection. Interpersonal relationships are built on authenticity. There is no AI shortcut to donor relationships.
Giving consistent attention to your donor prevents portfolios from stagnating and will reinforce the donor’s connection to your mission.
But not all donors want a deep connection.
It’s tempting to keep donors in your high-priority file who give regularly but don’t want a relationship because they’re seen as a guaranteed source of revenue.
This is meeting your internal goals but not addressing the donor’s needs.
Would this segment be better served with an automated approach? This would make room for more donors who crave high-touch relationships.
What’s the best way to acknowledge a mid-major donor after their first gift?
You should immediately send the IRS receipt to acknowledge the gift, typically within the first two weeks. But this is the bare minimum.
We recommend a quick phone call to say, “Thank you.” You’ll often hear a bit of shock in the donor’s voice when you simply call to express gratitude and share the impact their gift will make. This is not the time to ask for anything. It should be a no-guilt, responsibility-free touch point that the donor can enjoy.
ALL donors will “test” nonprofit organizations—whether consciously or subconsciously—just to see how you respond. If you make them feel like a part of the solution to the need, you’ll pass the first test.
When you get the chance to speak to the donor, framing them as the hero helps them understand their impact on the causes close to their hearts. They need to understand that THEY are the reason for the success.
“Your donation allowed us to shelter 250 people” can be rephrased as, “You sheltered 250 people last month.” This small change makes donors feel deeply connected to the outcomes of their generosity and compelled to give again.
How often should I contact mid-major donors?
This might be the question we get asked the most.
As I mentioned in the first blog, reliability is a big part of communication with mid-major donors, so keeping in touch consistently is key. I suggest a phone call—or text or email, whichever they prefer—every three months or so just to check in. Let the donor know you were thinking about them or share that you have called to give some updates on the number of people they are helping.
Keeping detailed notes in your CRM system will help you find reasons to reach out. Birthdays, anniversaries or major life events are all good excuses to touch base. If the outreach is only triggered by giving, the donors will know!
Behind the scenes, you need to be monitoring everyone on your list. If they make a gift between your regular check-ins, move quickly to acknowledge it. A handwritten note or card does well here.
Also, avoid over-asking donors to give. Nonprofits are high-stake environments, and the need for funding is ever-present. It's easy to call on our strongest supporters over and over, but this can burn them out, appear desperate and hinder your relationship building.
Instead of returning to the same well, look for donors who haven’t yet given this year or donors who might be giving under their capacity.
How should I keep track of who to call and when?
You need a dashboard or set of reports that you routinely review, along with a weekly “hot list” of gifts that require a thank-you call. You should re-evaluate your portfolio every quarter to determine who should stay and who should be blessed and released to another form of regular communication.
To make the most of your time, consider following this framework:
- 50% of time spent on Tier A: donors who enjoy your relationship and are deeply committed to the cause they support
- 30% of time spent on Tier B: donors who want to grow to a partnership level and prospects
- 20% of time spent on Tier C: donors who want minimal relationship building and may be released to an automated segment
Stay organized. Record your moves and touchpoints in your CRM so you don’t lose track.
Where can I find the time to do all this?
When you work at a nonprofit, you often wear many hats—believe me, I’ve been there. There are so many initiatives that require “all hands-on deck.”
But remember: Behaviors lead you to the habits that will yield the deepest relationships with your donors.
The key to finding time is being intentional about it. Set aside time each week to make calls. Block off your calendar. Make it a priority.
Once you begin to do this, these intentional behaviors will transform into regular habits. Then, you’ll be on your way.
How do I know if it’s working?
Large gifts to the organization are the most obvious metric to track, but donations often lag behind the behaviors. Here are a few other items you should track:
- New prospects identified, qualified and updated in portfolio
- Meaningful communications with existing donors
- Successful touchpoints (returned phone calls or emails, video chats, meetings, etc.)
- Proposals submitted
- New donors acquired
- Existing donors retained
- Lapsed donors reactivated
- Donors by size of gift, increase in gift, etc.
Remember, this is a long game of behaviors, habits and deeper relationships. Think of it like trying to lose weight:
- The behavior is scheduling time on your calendar to go to your workout.
- The habit is leaving the house, driving to the gym, changing clothes and completing your workout.
- The performance is number of steps or laps around the track, number of workouts each week, ounces of daily water intake for hydration, change in BMI, etc.
When you start exercising and eating well, the scale doesn’t budge right away. But you know the work you’re putting in will pay off down the road.
By understanding which behaviors lead to the habits that propel your fundraising performance, you will see how to best use your time as you build a successful mid-major program.
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